Editorial: First things first

When Potter County commissioners approved a 10-year tax abatement for Coca-Cola last month — by a 3-2 vote — there was concern as to why Potter County was the final taxing and governmental entity to vote on the abatement.

The city of Amarillo, Amarillo College and the Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District already had approved a similar tax abatement for Coca-Cola by the time Potter County came to the plate.

Coca-Cola will be moving from its location near city hall to make room for a multipurpose events center, primarily a ballpark, a major part of downtown redevelopment.

Before last month’s vote, Commissioner Alphonso Vaughn, who voted against the abatement along with Commissioner Mercy Murguia, questioned why Potter County always seems to be an afterthought when it comes to dealing with the city and related governmental entities.

As we said shortly after Potter County’s vote, this is a valid question.

Mayor Paul Harpole, speaking Monday at Amarillo Downtown Kiwanis, said there was no intent to place Potter County last on the tax abatement vote.

“It is like dumping a puzzle on the table and having the pieces of the puzzle,” Harpole said. “It was not by design — or by me — that Potter County’s vote on the venue, on the change for Coca-Cola, was the final piece, but it happened that way.

“We didn’t hold out until the end. It just happened that way.”

Fair enough, but there is the perception that Potter County is often overlooked, especially by the city, when it comes to cooperation between levels of local government. And while there is no guarantee that downtown redevelopment would have come to a screeching halt had the county balked at the tax abatement, there is no denying the pressure was on Potter County.

The county was thrown a bone, though, as Murguia was nominated to the Amarillo Local Government Corp. board of directors as an ex-officio (or non-voting) member, although it is questionable what kind of influence the county can have with non-voting status.

In effect, Potter County has been told not to take it personal, at least as far as downtown redevelopment.